illuscat

I don’t technically work full-time at either of my jobs, and the work isn’t guaranteed to be steady. As a result, I have formed a habit of accepting every offer for work that comes my way, and before I know it, I’m over-booked and working the equivalent of 2 full-time jobs. At the same time, I don’t want to let either employer down and risk losing future job opportunities.

The downtime I’m waiting for just hasn’t come—which I guess is a blessing, if a stressful one. I have come to the realization, however, that I must create the downtime myself. How? I have no immediate clue, but I’m hoping one will emerge.

I’ve been using the system for over a year now, and if you listen to what she says (and really just start slowly, instead of trying to wade through everything on the first day), it works magic.

One of the problems with life in the US, I think, is that our world is consumerist. This causes problems in the environment, as we buy things that must be shipped only to throw them away or stuff them in a closet and forget about them. It also causes problems in society, as we work to get more stuff to consume. Americans work long hours to buy the things we are supposed to want. Then, because we’re working all the time, we have impoverished inner lives, little time with family, and a loss of a spiritual center. It also, I think, causes humanitarian problems, as people in developing countries work in unfair and unhealthy conditions for little pay to produce cheap goods so we can buy more and get good prices.

For me, this is a moral issue. Sadly, when we’re born into a culture of consumerism, it’s a radical change to resist buying and acquiring. I want to resist and instead use my energy to engage in community in some meaningful way—or just do a lot of knitting and read a lot of good books that I get from the library.